Radon
Some buildings in radon-affected areas
have higher levels and need to be tested
What is radon?
Radon is a colourless, odourless radioactive gas. It is formed by the radioactive decay of the small amounts of uranium that occur naturally in all rocks and soils. Radioactive elements decay and emit radiation which can be hazardous to health.
Radon is everywhere as it's formed from the uranium in all rocks and soils. In most areas, the radon levels are low and the health risk is small. The radon map shows the likelihood of higher radon levels within a postcode, with the darker colours having a higher likelihood. However, not all homes, even in the darkest areas, have high levels.
Radon in homes
Every building contains radon, but the levels are usually low. The chance of higher levels depends on the type of ground. As a landlord, we have a responsibility to our customers under the Housing Act to provide safe homes.
We are measuring radon levels in our homes in radon-affected areas. UK Radon advises that landlords should investigate areas where the annual average radon risk level is 3-5%.
What we have done
We have instructed the UK Health and Security Agency, the UK’s primary radon services provider, to carry out radon address searches. These allowed us to establish which of our homes could be above the action level for radon.
If your address is in one of these affected areas, we will purchase and send you a radon detector so that you can monitor your home for three months. Once you have done this, you must post the detector back to UK Radon in the pre-paid envelope provided. This will be analysed and the results, with advice, will be shared with you 4 weeks after the return of the detectors.
If the result is high, please contact us and we will advise the most suitable remedial method to reduce radon levels.
Some basic actions include a combination of sealing around loft-hatches and large openings in floors; and increasing ventilation. If the result is below the action level, then no further action is required.
If remediation is required, then re-measurement of Radon levels will be undertaken once it has been completed to ensure the level has reduced to an acceptable level. We will then periodically re-test to monitor Radon levels every 5-10 years to ensure the risk is managed.
More information
Further information can be found at www.ukradon.org.
If you have any questions, please send our health and safety team an email with your question.